Android moving on to mobile Internet tablets, media players

Although the major mobile carriers have been slow to warm up to Android, the …

Google is hard at work on a new version of its Linux-based Android mobile platform. The new branch—which is codenamed Cupcake—introduces support for several important features, including an on-screen keyboard. This critical feature, which was missing from Android at launch, will make Android a viable platform for touchscreen tablet devices that don't have hardware keyboards.

Cupcake is still a work in progress, but gadget makers are already getting a head start. The GiiNii Movit, an Android WiFi tablet that was introduced at CES, is one of the first Cupcake-based products to be unveiled. It will offer support for Skype for VoIP and include an integrated video camera. The 4.3-inch model is on track to ship in Q3 and it will followed up by a 7-inch model.

The latest hardware maker to jump on the Android bandwagon is Archos, which is planning an ultra-slim touchscreen media tablet device with 500GB of built-in storage, 3G Internet support, and a powerful OMAP3440 processor. The press release claims that it will deliver 7-hours of HD video playback. With a 5-inch screen, however, it's not quite like your average pocket-friendly smartphone.

Previous Archos Internet devices have used the company's own Linux-based platform. Adopting Android could bring several advantages to the Archos devices, including access to the third-party software ecosystem.

Electronics Weekly is reporting that California touchscreen device maker Touch Revolution is modifying Anroid to support additional kinds of non-phone devices. They have adapted the software so that it can work better on a wider range of screen sizes. Such efforts could also help to increase Android's presence on consumer electronics devices.

The major mobile carriers have been hesitant to adopt Android and there don't appear to be any carrier-backed phones coming soon from any major mobile player other than T-Mobile. Sprint, which was originally planning to launch a product this year, changed its plans after struggling with bugs and technical issues. The availability of Android-based products from third-party hardware makers through regular retail channels could be Android's fastest path to consumers and could help validate the platform.